Chocolate porn. Don't be alarmed. Chow Creations is not yet another food blog to resolve to indecency to increase traffic. We simply listen to our viewers and the viewers say more porn, food porn that is. This week, after being away for quite awhile, I return with a mexican chocolate pound cake. Rich and dense however at the same time somehow fluffy and definitely chocolatey. This cake can certainly be the subject of many ahhh's and ohhh's of the next family gathering or church potluck.
Despite it's lack of "mexican" chocolate, we make up for it with a heaping dose of cinnamon and many other tasty flavors including coconut, buttermilk, and "american" chocolate. Well I'm not sure if any chocolate is american seeing that they all come from Brazil or Columbia or some place of that nature, but it's certainly a chocolate which has an american stamp of approval seeing that it's fortified with tons of sugar and milk. Plus I'm using chocolate that's in "chip" form and you know americans love their chips.
*ingredients are at the bottom, directions you have to read
First step is to take your butter out to come up to room temperature (unlike I which kept my butter frozen and had to wait for hours until it defrosted). Beat the butter on high for 2-35 minutes until it's creamy and smooth. The times vary depending on how frozen your butter is. Then add your sugar gradually while beating. This should take 5-7 minutes because you want to incorporate a lot of air and get the mixture fluffy and pale. Then add the eggs one at a time making sure the yellow of the yolks has completely incorporated before adding the next.
Chocolate time. In a microwave safe bowl take your chocolate chips and microwave them on high for one minute. Then, if they still haven't melted heat them up on high for fifteen second intervals, stirring after each interval. You could also do this over a double boiler but that's a little more work and takes longer. Stir in the melted chocolate and the easy hot fudge sauce + coconut + sea salt. You may or may not remember the fudge sauce from a previous recipe I did because it was so simple and easy, but we need it for this one. You could also use the store-bought, obesity inducing, cloyingly sweet, high fructose corn syrup fortified, disgusting chocolate syrup variety (we don't judge here, see blog rules and goals).
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Also prepare your buttermilk in a cup. You can also use a 3 to 1 ratio of plain yogurt and whole milk (3/4 cup yogurt + 1/4 milk) if you don't want to buy an entire carton buttermilk for just one cake. Beat while adding the dry and wet ingredients alternately, starting and ending with the dry. When you get to the last bit of flour I like to just fold it in with a spatula to avoid over mixing the batter which will make the cake tough.
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| the banana bread makes another cameo |
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) bundt pan or tube pan. Bake it at 325F for 1 hour and then stand in front of the oven door to watch it like an eagle. Test it every five minutes from then on and it should be done after an hour and fifteen minutes, but the most you could probably go is one hour and thirty (by then it'll probably be overcooked and burnt). If you don't have this particular size pan bake the cake and just watch it. When you think it's getting close insert a long wooden skewer into the tallest part of the cake and if it comes out clean you know we're in business.
Of course let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack before unmolding. Then after fifteen or so minutes carefully remove it from the mold and let it cool for an additional fifteen before serving. Serving options include a drizzle of some extra chocolate. A dusting of cinnamon sugar, a very prominent flavor in the cake and traditional mexican spice. Or you could drizzle the cake with that extra hot fudge sauce we made. Me, I just went simple and did a dusting of powdered sugar. It's elegant and doesn't get messed up when, let's say, you need to bring it to a party. Which I did. Which also explains why I don't have picture of the inside of the cake or a slice on a plate because I didn't want to look shady bringing a cake with a slice taken out of it to a party.
Shout out to my friend Tom who the cake was for, who is going to Spain soon, who is doing a 450 mile walk there, who is super cool, and who you can find out more about on his facebook page. Good Luck! And as always,
Chow!
Recipe
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or 8oz of chocolate baking squares
1 cup softened unsalted butter, read post for more info on what you shouldn't do
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup easy hot fudge sauce + coconut + sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup buttermilk, if you want substitute 3/4 yogurt + 1/4 cup milk
Garnishes
powdered sugar
cinnamon sugar
drizzle melted chocolate
drizzle reserved easy hot fudge sauce + coconut + sea salt
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